Time Lost Past
by Dhampirangel
Summary: Content within the lifestream, Aerith wonders about the past. What if she could fix the past? She returns to Gaia to complete this mission. possible pairings...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII; Square-Enix does.

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Chapter 1

The planet has since known a great peace with which comes after much sacrifice. The world bore scars of which transpired over the many years. The cause was started by the Shinra Corporation. All that was left of that despicable build was a shadow of its former self ever watching the doomed city of Midgar. The citizen were still recovering from the latest attack that had originally spawned of Shinra Corp.: Deep Ground. It had at last seemed peaceful.

Among the vast life stream that flowed within the planet, a girl watched over her many friends. Her name in life was Aerith. She was content in the promised land. Watching them go about their normal lives, she felt a certain sorrow wash over her. She missed them and not being able to enjoy anything with them. She was unable to do much for either them or the planet.

Cloud and Tifa were together trying to run their business. Barret was taking care of Corel and insuring that Marlene had a proper education with her mom, Mrs. Gainsborough. Nanaki/Red XIII was safeguarding the Canyon with his grandfather. Cait Sith and Reeve were rebuilding Midgar with a organization called the W.R.O. Yuffie was as always gathering more materia and was expected to be the heir of Wutai. Vincent is starting to recover from his past. Cid and Shera were busy with multiple tasks of their own. She could only wish them the best of luck.

Looking back, she remembered how she had met death at Sephiroth's hands with Jenova possessing him. It was her final sacrifice to give hope of saving the planet. The white materia had called upon holy that saved everyone after Sephiroth's defeat by Cloud and her friends. By meeting his end, he has since then entered the purgatory of nothingness. What a sad fate for one who was under that alien mind.

It was with these thoughts that her mind wandered: What if terrible occurrences had never happened? How different would the future be? She puzzled over these questions in her head, but she soon realized that she would not be able to find out as she was dead and it had already happened. There was no changing this.

Unexpectedly, she found a warm tingling sensation of the planet's thoughts invading her mind. It found pleasure from her train of thought. She was enthralled the planet liked her idea yet could not see how it would work. There were no Cetra left to partake this request as they were all done in by Jenova- one way or another. So this brought up a problem.

In the promised land, there was a council held to discuss what should be done. It was within a temple of white-silver metal with a strange iridescent glow emanating from it. The air held a cool scent of cherry blossoms mixed with roses and there was a gentle whisper from the nearby fountain. It was considered springtime here at the time. The seasons were long yet comforting.

Within were a council of seven, each wearing a different color to represent an element the Cetra considered sacred: crimson as fire, deep cerulean for water, sunlight yellow with air/wind, forest green of earth, white of light, black mixed with dark colors represents darkness, and silver with a touch of iridescence, like the temple itself, was souls/spirit. Each of the council members specialized in the type of magic they wore; needless to say, the darkness sage was not an evil stereo type. It seemed to Aerith that the light and darkness sages were identical twins.

"Why has this council been called?", inquired a silky soft voice of the blue wardrobe woman.

"We have other matters to attend to, so what is it?", called a harsh tone of the man in red.

"Patience, Deralf, give her a chance to speak as she can not if you keep interrupting as always." said the woman clothed in silver, and she whispered to Aerith, "Don't worry about him, he is always this way and has a short temper. By the way, my name is Teresa and it's a pleasure to meet you, Aerith."

"Thank you, it is a pleasure to meet you as well.", Aerith whispered back. Then in a louder voice said, "There was possibility of a different outcome for the planet than what it has already faced."

This seemed to peak the council member's interest, including Deralf. It seemed to bring an awkward silence only to be broken by Deralf.

"And how, pray tell, shall you do that? For as you stand here talking about it, it is intriguing at that proposition," said Deralf.

"The planet seems to think that changing the past would possibly benefit us."

"You can't be serious!", exclaimed Deralf.

"It might be possible," countered the wise woman of light.

"Though, not without its consequences," replied darkness shrouded member.

"Who would take this task?", the earth-robed sage asked emotionlessly.

"Aerith, obviously, as she is familiar with the world nowadays, and I have trust in her," came from the wind sage.

"RESURRESTION!!!!!", an enraged growl rumbled through the temple from the hothead himself.

Aerith could not help but look around to see and feel the temple quake at his angered exclamation. She felt uneasiness settle among the many members. She hoped she had not shattered the peace of them. Her shaking figure caught the eye of Teresa.

Sighing, Teresa spoke in a calm, serene voice saying, "This is partly Aerith's decision and we will respect her wishes. We need to put this up for vote and the planet will deliver the final judgment on this matter. Any objections?", with a pointed glare in Deralf''s direction.

"Fine, a vote," repeated the rest.

To the flower girl's surprise, the majority was clear excluding one exception. The fire sage had vermillion color his face to match the fiery hue of his crimson garments. Embarrassment and fury were a clear emotion on his face. There was the soft agreement from the planet's being.

But still he persisted, "Serphia, sage of darkness and friend, I thought you mentioned consequences of these actions?!"

"True, as that may be, Aerith has proven she is worthy of this by protecting the planet previously. You need to remember that this is not about you. Anyways," she turned to Aerith and stared at her with violet eyes, "it will be your decision whether to take on this."

"Though, there will be limitations as you can not change Jenova's arrival and you will need to find answers on your own," said Serphia's twin.

"So choose wisely," Teresa requested.

This was a second chance at living. She was content within the life stream, but she still missed her friends. She looked up at the councils' gentle and kind nature and decided to try. . .

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-Thank you for reading. This is my first and I want to know about any possible errors. Please review.

And a nice start to the new year.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII; Square-Enix does. With the exception of some ocs.

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Chapter 2

_Awaken_

The soft, subtle voice echoed in her mind. It tried to rouse her from gentle slumber. The outside world felt cold and unwelcoming. She moaned, '_Why?_' to the familiar voice within her head. The voice chuckled over her grogginess.

She noticed a faint glow over her from underneath her eyelids. Reluctantly, she forced herself into a sitting position and slowly opened her eyes. She had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted to the dim atmosphere.

She seemed to be in a forest of some kind. The trees' bark were a pale and had an amazing luminous glow to them. The long dark leaves created shadows within that blocked the sky so the tiniest rays of light could be seen. She laid by a great, clear water lake that sparkled where light managed to hit it. A tall seashell-shaped building stood proudly from across the lake from her.

As she took in her surroundings, she noticed that she was damp like she had been in the lake. Her pink button up dress was sopping with water and was clinging to her body. The same could be said for her faded red jacket that hung on her shoulders. Her free flowing hair hung down to her waist, since she lost her ribbon. The brown boots she wore were uncomfortably cold and held water in them.

'_How did I get here,_' she wondered. The girl clad in pink watched the forest with wonder and caution. Staring at the lake with a hint of confusion in her emerald green eyes, she felt recognition toward it.

That's when it hit her, she was within the forest of the lost capital, an ancient city long deserted. The place of her death when she had prayed for holy and later put into the lake for her burial. She had come back to complete a task set before her.

'_No wonder I'm damp and cold,'_ she thought to herself. Cloud had left her to sink to the bottom of a lake after Sephiroth killed her. With an internal sigh at Cloud's thoughtlessness, she tried to stand up.

She shivered against the cold that threatened to engulf her. The flower girl had to set her first priority with finding shelter to survive. Remembering, the old houses that had once housed the Cetra, she made her way to the closest. The way through the crystalline forest was bone-chillingly freezing. She couldn't help but be grateful that monsters have not penetrated the city to attack her in the weakened state.

It turned out to be early morning when she finally wandered out of the forest. The house she entered was seashell-shaped as the building she noticed before in the forest. It was much warmer in there. Thanking the gods, she stepped inside and proceeded to wrap up in some of that scraps of blankets and start a fire.

While laying in a bed by the fire, she wondered how she could do this and survive. She would have to search and scavenge until she was strong enough. She was without any companions to help her, so had to be extra careful.

Silently, as she was contemplating her fate, she felt a wave of reassurance come from the planet. '_We would not have resurrected you to see you fail, my child,' _came the soothing voice from the planet. Her friend had confidence in her and she found power in them along with the will to continue.

With a new sense of self-confidence, she settled into slumber. Knowing very well, that she would need to prepare for the new journey.

_Down in the temple of the lost capital, Aerith kneels in front of the alter. The under ground caverns were beautiful in the middle of the night. They sparkled of crystal in the moonlight that seemed to flood in from the lake. The water, that freely flows around the pedestals that form steps to the alter, shimmers like diamonds reflecting the light further. _

_Sitting there amidst the moonlight, she prayed for holy, the savior from meteor. She knew she had little time before having to contend with Jenova and Sephiroth. Her head bowed in concentration of this task. She had a feeling that her friends would arrive soon as well._

_Recognizing the scene laid before her, she realizes this is before she is killed in cold blood by Sephiroth. Soon after, there are quick steps approaching from the floating stairs that lead above ground. Eyes still closed, there is the familiar thumping of Cloud's boots against the floor along with the others. Her friends were all here coming to find her._

_Cloud came up to the front of Aerith. He had the strangest expression upon his face as she peeked from her closed eyes. Then fully opened them, she saw that there was determination, cold hatred, and some pain that had marred his face. To be perfectly honest, the guy looked like he was possessed or in a trance. He slowly and hesitantly drew his Buster Sword, which she had recognized as it belonged to her late boyfriend Zack. _

_She held her ground as Cloud brought the sword up above his head preparing to strike. As he began to swing it toward her, the fellow members of AVALACHE called out to Cloud; therefore, he was brought back to reality. Among the members, she heard Barret and Cid cuss about Cloud's idiocy. That brought a small smile to Aerith's lips knowing they all cared for her. _

_The end would come soon as she knew as she looked at her friends for the seemingly last time. The inevitable was slowly coming. The seconds felt like an eternity as they passed by._

_Unexpected, instead of Sephiroth gracefully dropping down to impale her, Aerith spotted Jenova floating down at dangerous speed. Jenova ran Aerith through with an extended arm. Pain rippled through her body, she started to slump forward as Jenova retracted its arm from the wound in Aerith's abdomen. _

_The ribbon that tied Aerith's hair back into a braid came undone and the white materia, now a jade green in response to answering her prayer, bounces off the pedestals into the water. Soft clinks resound as in the temple as the materia fell into the water with an aduble splash within the silent room. _

_AVALACHE stared in shock, while the flower girl tried to give them a weakened, reassuring smile. Cloud rushed to her side and looked into her eyes for the last time. Her life force quickly draining with her blood and she close her eyes knowing the end was near._

_Still, she heard Jenova's voice mock Cloud in his pain, in a grotesque and screeching voice as if it has not been used before. That made some sense as Jenvova had been sealed for two thousand years then sent who knows how many years in a tank at Nibelheim._

_Aerith's strength fading as she listened to the conversation and Cloud with the other started to battle Jenova…_

Waking with a start, the flower girl found herself in bed next to the fire. A few tears trickle down her face at the memory. She wanted to have the gentle embrace of her adoptive mother or her friends to comfort her. Finding none, she curled up deeper into the blankets.

'_You are never alone,'_ whispered Teresa, the spirit sage, echoing in Aerith's mind.

"Thank you," said Aerith in an equally hushed tone.

Feeling invigorated after deep sleep, she found that her clothes were nearly dry and her body was stiff. She was able to tell a day passed the outside was dark. That would mean she would have to wait until morning to search fro supplies.

She began wondering why she dreamed about her premature death. '_Why had Jenova strike instead of Sephiroth?'_ asking herself. Putting the matter aside, she watched the sky turn a rosy hue before slipping out into the cold to face her many challenges ahead.

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A/N: That's two down... I have no idea how long this is going to be. Sorry, if the story is too short not exactly used to writing them. I need a little practice. Not exactly sure when the next chapter is going to be. Please review


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